


Picture Book

by ominousrum



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2014-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-24 20:22:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9784820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ominousrum/pseuds/ominousrum
Summary: Kristoff doesn't like to pose for pictures..





	

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to the lovely obsessedwithfrozen42 on tumblr!

“Oh come on! What’s the big deal?” Anna whined, clutching her new Polaroid camera close to her chest.

“What’s the point of taking my photo? I’m right here. You see me every day.” Kristoff expressed gruffly while pretending to be intently interested in the twist-ties floating around the junk drawer in the kitchen.

“I see you being a big baby.” Anna countered, her brilliant blue eyes flashing.

“There’s that infamous charm of yours…” Kristoff gestured at her with a spatula and began busying himself with making a batch of brownies, ingredients strewn across the countertop.  

“So I’m deprived of photos of my smokin’ hot boyfriend? The boyfriend who sometimes goes away for geological studies in Alaska and leaves me all by my lonesome in this big apartment?” Anna stood on tiptoe to rest her chin on Kristoff’s shoulder, her right arm snaking around his waist.

“Flattery will only result in more brownies, not photos.” Kristoff glanced at Anna out of the corner of his eye, “Although I applaud your efforts.”

Anna sighed and tugged the camera strap from around her neck in exasperation, she stomped into the living room with an excitable Sven at her heels. “And here I thought I was the stubborn one in this relationship!”  Sven barked his agreement at the fascinating game before him.

 “I wasn’t aware it was a competition but challenge accepted!”  Kristoff called from the kitchen.

Anna curled her legs up under her and sat on the sofa, twirling the strap of her new camera between her fingers. “What’s the use of this camera if I can’t even get a decent model?” Anna muttered quietly to herself. Sven offered a helpful lick to her wrist.

The rain battered the windows as Anna gave it a disapproving glare. She resigned to give Kristoff her annoyed face, even throughout her inevitable devouring of multiple brownies. _Curse him and his delicious brownies!_

_***_

Anna and Elsa had taken over the corner of the local café, Anna’s long amber scarf trailing along the floor, Elsa’s work portfolio propped up against the window.

“Then he had the audacity to tell me to stop photographing my dinner! He really doesn’t understand art.” Anna was gesturing wildly in frustration, causing the small table holding two enormous cups to wobble in protest.

Elsa paused to look atop her glasses at Anna, bemused. “I think it’s more likely he wanted you to appreciate the culinary art before you.”

“I was! That was part of the reason I wanted to photograph it, it was such glorious pasta!” Anna brought the giant mug of hot chocolate to her lips, cradling its warmth in her small hands. “Do you think they’ll ever invent scratch ‘n’ sniff photographs? Wouldn’t that be _wonderful?_ ”

“I can imagine that going horribly wrong, but sure.” Elsa smiled broadly at her little sister as she watched her attempt to build a castle out of biscotti.

“I know I’m taking a ton of photos and he’s getting annoyed but I really just want some photos of him! Well, of us I suppose.” Anna stirred her hot chocolate with a turret absentmindedly, toppling her roof inwards.

“Do you not have any yet? It’s been… what, nearly a year?”

“13 months, actually! We have one tiny one on my old phone but Kristoff looks exceptionally grumpy.” Anna sighed. “I have a lot of Sven and the apartment. I just think we should have a few couple-y ones, you know?”

“Well maybe if you tell him how important it is to you, he’ll surprise you. It’s worth a shot. Sounds like he just hates having his photo taken. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of it myself!” Elsa added, eyeing Anna’s camera nervously. Anna noted to herself she should plan to take more photos of Elsa once she had won over Kristoff.

***

Anna tried her best in the following week to persuade Kristoff to meet her photo demands but to no avail. Eventually she decided to stop asking and took several photos of herself and Sven wearing various hats. Anna struggled not to pout when Kristoff told her he’d be gone all day tomorrow helping his friend Jim move, her brain starting to ferret out small insecurities to twist into her consciousness.

Anna groaned as her alarm started to blare, her arm knocking over her bedside lamp with a metallic clang as she tried to find the snooze button. “Nuh. No.”

_Picture book, pictures of your mama, taken by your papa a long time ago._

“What the-?” Anna gave a bleary-eyed stare to the alarm clock. “Why are you making noise? It’s Sunday…” Anna could make out 8:22 in glowing blue digital numbers.  

_Picture book, of people with each other, to prove they love each other a long ago._

“Shurrup, you!” Anna finally sat up in bed and brushed the hair from her face. Getting a clear look at her alarm clock she noticed Kristoff’s ipod docked in it, just visible behind an envelope that said “Read Me”. Anna’s sleepy mind tried to process all the eventualities the note could entail as her fingers fumbled with the opening.

_Hi gorgeous,_

_There’s a present for you on the top shelf of the hall closet. Just thought you may want to get an early start today._

_Love,_

_Kris_

Anna read the note twice before leaping out of bed at full speed to race towards the closet. Her sock feet nearly slipping out from under her by the time she had reached the door handle. On tiptoe she reached the top shelf and pulled down a large black photo album tied with a bright green ribbon. Anna unwrapped her gift and opened the album with a squeal of delight. Inside was a Polaroid of Kristoff smiling back at her with **_Your next photo is in the mailbox_** written underneath.

Anna’s heart started to race as she bounded back to the bedroom to change out of her pyjamas, suddenly becoming aware that Sven was not in the apartment or else he would surely be bounding along with her. _Why would Kristoff take Sven to help someone move?_ She thought as she threw on her jeans and dark green sweater. Anna gave a triumphant cheer when she found a purse big enough to comfortably carry the album from the depths of the closet then came the frustrated growl when she realized she had put her tan ankle boots on the wrong feet.

She all but flew down the two flights of stairs to the apartment foyer, heart buzzing as her fingers fumbled with the keys to the mailbox. Inside was another Polaroid of Kristoff grinning at her in front of the row of metal mailboxes. **_Go to Fleetwood Macchiato and ask for Genevieve_**

Anna’s mind raced faster than her feet as she tried to think what had prompted all of this from her normally anti-camera boyfriend and what the possible outcome would be. She was sure strangers thought she must look daft with her wide smile and dreamy eyes running at full speed down the sidewalk.

“Genevieve!” Anna cried as soon as she opened the café door causing the startled barista to nearly jump out of her apron. Anna was at the counter within two seconds.

“You must be Anna. I was told to give you this.” Genevieve’s round face breaking into a smile under her mass of black curls, handing her a small envelope.

“Thank you!” Anna chirped before tearing apart her next message. Kristoff held a mug of coffee aloft while seemingly balancing the camera in his other hand. **_Go to Clark’s Diner, booth #5, behind the jukebox_**

Anna muffled a sound somewhere between “eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” and “aaaaahhh!” before turning on her heel to rush towards their favourite 24-hour diner, two blocks away. _Good thing these are all within walking distance_ Anna thought as her heart continued to thunder in her chest. _I don’t know if I could handle waiting for a bus._

Arriving at Clark’s Anna gave Jake behind the cash a cheery wave before skidding to her and Kristoff’s go-to booth. She lifted the small tabletop jukebox to see an envelope taped to the back, her nails shredding the paper in seconds. Kristoff’s eyes seemed to sparkle in the photo as he sat in the vinyl booth.   ** _Go to the big gazebo in the botanical gardens_**

Anna was thankful there was a wide inside pocket in her purse into which all the photos were being shoved. She didn’t think she would be able to open the beautiful album and fidget with photo sleeves when she was this exuberant. The streets were still fairly quiet for an early Sunday morning, a few dog walkers, families who looked as if they were en route to church. Anna laughed to herself that this likely made her speed and determination seem all the more out of place.

The grass in the gardens was dewy and Anna struggled to maintain her pace while remaining upright. As she rounded the corner she saw the gazebo before her. _Wait, where in the gazebo?_ Anna began to go over all possibilities in her mind as to where the next photo would be hiding. She scanned the wooden beams, searching each corner of the octagon. Her eyes fell on an envelope attached vertically to the beam on her left. The photo inside was of one of the benches in the gazebo, a midnight blue box with a sky blue ribbon tied around it. Anna’s eyes widened as she whipped around to examine the benches; no tiny gift in sight. She looked back to the photo to finally read the caption **_Look under the bench_**

She knelt down under the bench closest to her and peered underneath, hands flailing around to see if she could grasp anything resembling an envelope or a small box. She gave a small growl of annoyance as she scrambled to the opposite bench to try the same thing.

“Aha!” she exclaimed as her fingers found the paper taped far under the bench, ripping it free. Anna paused a moment to turn her head fully upside-down to inspect if the gift box was also there but it was not. Her index finger slipped, slicing a papercut along it. “Oww!”Anna instinctively placed it in her mouth to suck the blood away.

The photo inside made her fall backwards with a loud thump. The small blue box in the previous photo was now open to reveal a glittering silver ring with a delicately set octagon-shaped diamond. Anna could feel her heart beating in her ears, the world around her falling completely silent. **_Turn around_**

Anna tried to steady herself with shaking arms, legs like jelly as she rose to turn around. Kristoff stood ten feet away. Anna noticed the camera in his left hand, a small box in his right. “Hi” he said simply as he crossed the feet between them in large, awkward steps.

“So I borrowed your camera…” Kristoff said, his lips quivering slightly, swaying on the spot.

Anna could only nod slowly, mouth half-open. She could feel her palms damp with sweat.

“I wanted to- well I mean this is- we’ve talked about things before and I-“ Kristoff stammered, his face flushing as he carefully laid the camera down on the gazebo. “This is a lot more scary than people make it look.” He exhaled and rubbed a hand along the back of his neck.

Kristoff bent a knee and swallowed hard. Anna let out a strangled whimper.

“Anna, I have something important to ask you. I love you and I- I never want to be apart from you.” Kristoff opened the box revealing the ring to another incoherent garble from Anna. “Will you marry me?”

Anna’s head started nodding before her mouth could form words. “Yes” came the first almost soundless response. “Yes yes yes yes YES YES YES!” Anna’s affirmation increased in volume as she flew full force into the still kneeling Kristoff, knocking them both down. Anna’s lips peppering every spot she could reach with a kiss.

Kristoff sat up, Anna still wrapped around him, and plucked the ring from the box. “I hope it fits.” He plied her hand from around his neck to place the ring on her finger, his still trembling. Anna’s eyes filled with tears as she stared down at her engagement ring.

“It’s perfect.”

Kristoff held her close as they stood, untangling Anna’s scarf from under his shoe. He placed the camera in Anna’s bag after gathering the contents rolling across the gazebo floor.

“Good. What do you say we go and untie Sven so we can get something to eat? He’s just on the other side of that hedge.” As if on cue a sharp bark cut through the morning air.

The two walked unhurried, encountering a tall man walking a Labrador on their path.

“Excuse me, do you mind taking our photo?” Kristoff asked, producing the camera and offering it with a smile.


End file.
